Sunday -The best Day to Journal

Today, I thought I would share my journaling story. I am sure everyone journals in some way or form. Anyway, here is my crazy journaling style and of course I love it. There is no right or wrong way to journal it is what works for you. Whatever, you do with your journal doesn’t matter. The power in journaling comes from figuring out what is bothering you, creating a resolution, a motivation and a determination to carry on. Well, in my humble opinion this is the power of journaling.

For me the art of taking to pen to paper is what journaling and diary keeping is all about. I find that when I write on paper, my thoughts become calmer and clearer. I am able to understand what is going on inside of me. What I need to work on, what I needs to change, and why I am feeling the way I am feeling. I am able to make plans for the future. I am able to work through painful issues repeatedly until I find a solution. I write my affirmations, my gratitude and I write my timeline of events I want to remember in years to come. I feel that the act of physically writing to be the most therapeutic way of clearing out the daily chaos of my mind. It is a brain dump, the download, the get rid of all that noise in my head and give me some silent space to make better decisions.

How often do I journal?

I will make sure I journal a minimum once a week and this happens at the weekend.

If life is intensively painful, I will journal more. I may even journal daily and may be even 3 times day. When I am in this ‘state’ I will up my meditation, and positive reading to help get to a solution faster.

I like to journal about my future plans weekly, or it might be daily especially when I am trying to figure it all out.

I write affirmations and keep a gratitude journal, I might do this daily or minimum of twice a week.

Memory Keeping Journal – I only update this with significant things that I know I will want to remember later on in life.

What time in the day do I Journal?

I don’t have a fixed time of when I journal. I won’t necessarily do it first thing in the morning, simply because if I have not slept, I am already in a messed up mood and that just counter acts the purpose of journaling for me. I tend to do it later in the day or evening. I don’t like to carry over a issue into the next day, so I will do a nightly brain dump. If the problem is huge then it might takes days or weeks to resolve, but nevertheless I brain dump at night at least 30 minutes before going to bed. Before sleeping I will listen to something positive so I don’t go to sleep with a head full of hurt, worry or whatever it is.

What do I journal in? What do I do with my old journal?

A good 10 years ago, I started the “de-clutter the house project” which in fact is a yearly project. So, it came round to my journals, do I keep or do I chuck? Initially, I kept them because I could not let them go. Then, the following year I was more ruthless with the de-cluttering, I shredded and recycled the whole lot. Yes Sir the whole load, except my A6 memory keeping journal. Okay, there is method to my madness. I am de-cluttering, right! I have learnt what I needed to learn- right! I have created new habits and I am stronger. The old books are dead weight, dead negative weight that I have released. Why am I making my home stagnant with stale books, that I am not going to read again and re-live what I have released?

So, you ask what about memory keeping? Well, this is a little A6 hard cover book, I will only write significant events and significant things I want to remember. I don’t need to remember the lessons learnt because they are now a part of my life. Why do I have to keep the paper to prove it?

Other Journaling Books

I keep an affirmation and gratitude book. When these get full, I will keep them for two months into the new book and then they will be shredded and recycled.

Lessons Learnt book. A nice Peanut limited edition Moleskine. Purpose of this book is it to write my lessons learnt from my journaling. To keep the book with me, to keep referring to it, and make a habit of whatever I need to make a habit of. Or to remind myself of what not to do, or what to watch out. It is my work in progress book of what I need to improve on. Again when it gets full and there is nothing I really want to keep, I will get rid of it.

My actual journal books.

Well, you won’t be surprised my journal is NOT a pretty book, in fact it is a note book from the pound shop, or it is A4 list pad. When I journal, I may keep my journal pages for a month, or I might keep them for a week. Or I will shred them on the same day. Or at the end of the month or week. Logic- I don’t want to hold on to dead weight. I love writing and shredding as this act is an act of letting go, I have dealt with it and now I don’t need to hold it. If there is a lesson to be learnt – it goes in my lesson learnt book. Simple!

Crazy Journaling process – too many books? Why? What is the benefit?

I am so happy with my process of journaling I find it freeing and it is self-cleaning and meets my decluttering needs. It might sound like a lot of fuss. I like separate books, as I like to go into my affirmation or gratitude book when I am feeling down as it lifts me up. I like to go to my lesson learnt book to see what I have to work on. I don’t want to wade through pages of ramblings to find the affirmation or lesson learnt, I want it on hand. As for future aspiration – this is front and centre on a note card in my lessons learnt book.

We all journal in different ways, there is no right or wrong way to journal. We are all unique and it has to work for us. I thought I would share what I do. I love to journal, it is for me the only way I can resolve issues and concerns that are driving me mad. Journaling allows me to brain dump and make space in my mind for more important things. I have been journaling in some sort of fashion since I was 10 years old.

I would like to share two YouTube videos I came across recently that inspired me. Clearly, my ways of journaling is quite the opposite to the videos. Nevertheless, you might like these. The one on morning pages:- I investigated this further, morning pages is a tool for those who are artistic and who have a creative block, and it is a way of releasing that creative block. You aren’t supposed to keep your morning pages (google and your will find out more).

Robin Sharma = How to Keep a Journal

Morning Pages – Lavendaire

So how do you journal? Do you journal? Or is it a waste of time? What are your thoughts?

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I believe that the thoughts we create impact our life greatly. If we are able to change our thoughts, redirect them, catch our negative thinking.We can change our life. Read my 'About' page to find out more about thoughtsnlifeblog.com
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30 thoughts on “Sunday -The best Day to Journal”

Yes, I journal and it has been my habit for a long time now. To me, journaling is a way of keeping memory of special events, putting down my plans and strategize on them. It also proves so helpful to me the times when I’m depressed and I feel stuck. It empties my mind of the anxiety, fear and worry I may be experiencing. I love journaling.

Hi Solomon, thank you for reading and taking time to comment and i agree with all you say. When i journal i feel alive amd all the junk in my head is released and i can think clearly. Thanks again for visiting.

Great post Bella and it was really interesting to read your process. I’ve kept a diary since I was young and to this day journal daily.However your post has made nec realise that I’ve held on to the last six Gratitude Journals and it might be time to let them go.

Dear Miriam, My crazy ways lol.. I think decluttering is important as it becomes a form of burden on us with out knowing it. I have to ask myself if i keep will i look at it again ..and frankily i wont i know i wont.. why keep stuff when the lesson is learnt, to gather dust and be a subconscious burden. If you haven’t already -Do listen to the two youtube videos they are very good .

You’re right Bella, we write, we learn our lessons (hopefully) and then we move on. Think I may need to have a big purge and get rid of them.
I’ve just finished watching both videos. Robin Sharma is very inspiring and I’ve done Morning pages myself years ago which were really useful. I don’t do them anymore but I still journal at the end of every day. Thanks again. x

I have so many note books for journaling different parts of my life Bella. There is something about putting pen to paper which seems to help me to stay on track with where I’m going.. In particular I love my Gratitude Journal.. Thank you! xx

Most interesting to learn about your journaling process, Bella. I have kept diaries on and off for years but I did keep one continuously for the whole of my first year out of school. I still have it and it is really fun to go back and read bits of it now and again.

Hello Bella,
What a wonderful insight into your journalling process. It’s very thorough and I’m sure you gain much clarity from it.
I have notebooks but they are used for thoughts that come to my mind for things to write about. It’s usually based on how I’m feeling at the time. It’s probably my version that works for me currently.
Now I’m into photography, I’m doing almost a pictorial edition of my life for safe keeping in the future.
Thank you for the videos too…some other very important points made in them as to the power of it all…
Wishing you a good day 🙋🏻💐💐